Rams land top TE in 1st round of new NFL mock draft

[ASFN Admin]

At this point, it’ll be hard for the Los Angeles Rams to go wrong in the first round of the draft. They have no glaring needs to address anymore after adding Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, opening the door for just about any position to be addressed at No. 13 overall.

USA TODAY’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz released a fresh mock draft after the first wave of free agency, and he has the Rams pivoting to a luxury pick in Round 1. Middlehurst-Schwartz mocked Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq to the Rams at No. 13, giving Los Angeles yet another playmaker for Matthew Stafford in what could be his last NFL season.

Dealing for McDuffie reinforces that the Rams are all in on maximizing NFL MVP Matthew Stafford's remaining window. Taking Sadiq, a matchup nightmare still requiring some polish, might not seem fully aligned with that mentality. But Sean McVay and Les Snead were previously enamored a hybrid tight end in Brock Bowers, and Sadiq could feast in an offense that came to embrace using three tight ends.

Even though the Rams re-signed Tyler Higbee and now have four starting-caliber players at the position, Sadiq would still have a path to becoming a key contributor early on. The Rams used a ton of 13 personnel last season, where they had three tight ends on the field together, giving Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson all meaningful snaps.

Sadiq is an explosive receiver who can create yardage after the catch and win down the seam, similar to Ferguson. Both players can line up attached to the formation, in the slot or out wide, essentially making them big, physical receivers to go with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Though Sadiq wouldn’t fill a need, selecting him would be similar to the Rams drafting a wideout because he can do a lot of things that receivers can do.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL mock draft: Rams land TE Kenyon Sadiq after free agency moves

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